A List of Healthy Pantry Staples

You have made the decision, “IT IS TIME.” You are tired of catching your own tail and constantly fluctuating with your weight, working out and not seeing results, starting a healthy eating plan but not following it, etc. One of the main reasons people fail with healthy eating plans is because of the food that they have in their house. It’s not the holidays that make you gain weight, it’s all the left overs that you continue to eat days following the holiday!

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It is very simple… if it is not in your house, you are less likely to eat poorly. Now-a-days everything is about convenience. If it is not in my kitchen, I am not going to go out and get it.

With this said, it is important that your refrigerator, freezer and pantry all contain healthy foods. I will have follow up blog posts on what to keep in your refrigerator and freezer, but for this blog, it’s about what healthy pantry staples you need, to ensure you are eating healthy.

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To see a list of healthy pantry staples to add to your grocery list, see the list at the end of the blog!

Baking Goods

1. Almond Flour
2. Coconut Flour
3. Brown Rice Flour
4. Chocolate Protein
5. Vanilla Protein
6. 100 % Pure Maple Syrup or Raw Honey
7. Cacao Nibs
8. Semi-Sweet (or dark) Chocolate Chips
9. Cacao Powder
10. Baking Soda, gluten-free
11. Baking Powder, gluten-free
12. Stevia

Take all-purpose white flour out of your pantry and substitute it with any of these flours listed. They all taste different but they make great substitutes when baking anything that calls for flour. I personally prefer the almond flour.

Chocolate and vanilla protein powder can also be great substitutes for flour! Make sure you replace 1/3 cup of protein powder for every 1 cup of flour.

Not only is 100% pure honey and raw honey a substitute for original syrup and honey, but they are also great anytime you need to add sweetener or sugar to baked goods. Either of these work to make any of your baking goods a bit sweeter.

Instead of adding sweet chocolate chips, try adding some cacao nibs, semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. You will not get the rich chocolate taste from using these but the other sweeteners should make up for the lost taste!

Instead of opting for pure sugar, reach for some Stevia. It is a much healthier alternative.

If you have these healthy baking pantry staples, then you should have everything you need to turn any dessert you want into a healthier alternative!

Nuts and Butters

1. Almond Butter
2. All-Natural Peanut Butter

These an be used as a substitute for peanut butter. I love love, peanut butter so most of my desserts contain almond butter!

Canned Goods

1. Diced Chili Tomatoes
2. Beans-Garbanzo, Black, Cannellini, Kidney, Pinto and Chickpeas
3. Tuna
4. Salmon
5. Fat-Free Broth

Look for canned items with low sodium!

Breads, Starches and Grains

1. Ezekiel Bread
2. Sprouted Grain Tortillas
3. Whole Grain English Muffins
4. Whole Grain Pasta and Lasagna Noodles
5. Brown Rice
6. Quinoa
7. Couscous
8. Steel Cut Oats

Ezekiel Bread is the only bread I typically eat. I buy the original flavor for sandwiches, the sesame flavor for toast and the cinnamon raisin flavor if I am in the mood for a sweeter breakfast. They are all equally delicious and do not leave you feeling full and bloated.

Anytime I make a wrap, I always make sure it is on a sprouted grain tortilla. Whenever you are making a wrap, the tortilla needs to be on the larger size. Using a sprouted grain tortilla is much healthier than a flour tortilla.

The English muffins are great for egg white sandwiches or for mini pizzas. The mini pizzas are easy to make and a great substitute for pizza. I just add some sugar free marinara sauce topped with fat-free mozzarella and a little spice. They are very yummy!

The whole grain pasta is a great substitute for white pasta when cooking just about any dish. I also love the whole grain lasagna noodles for some healthy lasagna roll-ups!

Then there is quinoa. I am obsessed with quinoa. I actually use it most times for a substitute for even brown rice. Brown rice is healthier than white rice but quinoa is healthier than brown rice. Couscous tastes similar and can also be used as a great substitute.

Anytime I am making peanut butter balls or bars, steel cut oatmeal is a perfect outer layer for anything you are making into a ball or bar. Not only that, but steel cut oatmeal with some almond butter or 100% maple syrup makes for a great breakfast option!

Dried Fruits and Vegetables

1. Cranberries
2. Raisins
3. Apricots
4. Sun-Dried Tomatoes
5. Dehydrated Vegetable Snack Mixes

These are easy to grab and make great snacks.

Snacks

Check out my blog on A List of Healthy Snacks to see what snacks you can stock your pantry with!

Seasonings

1. Any dried Herb or Spice
2. Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt
3. Pepper

I use Mrs. Dash a lot for cooking. There is no salt added and it still tastes delicious. I also prefer turmeric spice because it is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that boasts many health benefits.

Sea salt and Himalayan salt are a more pure, concentrated form of salt so a little bit goes a long way. You end up needing less and you still get the same great taste.

Condiments

See my blog post on A List of Healthy Condiments for ideas on what condiments to keep in your pantry.

Summary

There you have it. Start by emptying your pantry and get rid of all foods that are high in salt, sugar, fat etc. They will not fill you up and they will do you no good. I found that it was really important in my healthy eating journey to understand what foods I could substitute with healthier alternatives and still get the same great taste! I needed to know what foods I should always have in my pantry so that if I was craving something whatever it was, I had all my pantry staples for healthy eating.

Start with your pantry first. You will never waste money on foods with longer expiration dates. I find that it is better to start here and then slowly make your way to the freezer and then to the refrigerator. This way, you don’t waste your money on foods that go bad quickly. It takes time to adjust to healthy eating, so start with your pantry first and then move your way around the kitchen.

For a list of Pantry staples for healthy eating, check out the list below!

1. Almond Flour
2. Coconut Flour
3. Brown Rice Flour
4. Chocolate Protein
5. Vanilla Protein
6. 100 % Pure Maple Syrup or Raw Honey
7. Cacao Nibs
8. Semi-Sweet (or dark) Chocolate Chips
9. Cacao Powder
10. Baking Soda, gluten-free
11. Baking Powder, gluten-free
12. Stevia
13. Almond Butter
14. All-Natural Peanut Butter
15. Diced Chili Tomatoes
16. Beans-Garbanzo, Black, Cannellini, Kidney, Pinto and Chickpeas
17. Tuna
18. Salmon
19. Fat-Free Broth
20. Ezekiel Bread
21. Sprouted Grain Tortillas
22. Whole Grain English Muffins
23. Whole Grain Pasta and Lasagna Noodles
24. Brown Rice
25. Quinoa
26. Couscous
27. Steel Cut Oats
28. Cranberries
29. Raisins
30. Apricots
31. Sun-Dried Tomatoes
32. Dehydrated Vegetable Snack Mixes
33. Any dried Herb or Spice
34. Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt
35. Pepper
36. Mrs. Dash

Don’t forget to check out my List of Healthy Snacks blog and my List of Healthy Condiments blog to check out the additional grocery lists to add to your healthy pantry staples!

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